1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to well drilling operations and, more particularly, to a device for assisting in the assembly of pipe strings, such as casing strings, drill strings and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The drilling of oil wells involves assembling drill strings and casing strings, each of which comprises a plurality of elongated, heavy pipe segments extending downwardly from an oil drilling rig into a hole. The drill string consists of a number of sections of pipe which are threadedly engaged together, with the lowest segment (i.e., the one extending the furthest into the hole) carrying a drill bit at its lower end. Typically, the casing string is provided around the drill string to line the well bore after drilling the hole and to ensure the integrity of the hole. The casing string also consists of a plurality of pipe segments which are threadedly coupled together and formed with internal diameters sized to receive the drill string and/or other pipe strings.
The conventional manner in which plural casing segments are coupled together to form a casing string is a labor-intensive method involving the use of a “stabber” and casing tongs. The stabber is manually controlled to insert a segment of casing into the upper end of the existing casing string, and the tongs are designed to engage and rotate the segment to threadedly connect it to the casing string. While such a method is effective, it is cumbersome and relatively inefficient because the procedure is done manually. In addition, the casing tongs require a casing crew to properly engage the segment of casing and to couple the segment to the casing string. Thus, such a method is relatively labor-intensive and therefore costly. Furthermore, using casing tongs requires the setting up of scaffolding or other like structures, and is therefore inefficient.
Accordingly, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there continues to be a need for a device for use in a drilling system which utilizes an existing top drive assembly to efficiently assemble pipe strings, and which positively engages a pipe segment to ensure proper coupling of the pipe segment to a pipe string. A need also exists for a pipe running tool that is more compact than known tools. The present invention addresses these needs and others.